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July 4, 1776
by Authority of the good People of these Colonies....these United Colonies are, and of Right ought to be Free and Independent States...

sulla80
Jul 4, 20244 min read


Prayers for Rain
The curious type of the Hydria is taken from the παράσημον (insignia) of the City of Crannon. It was customary in the time of drought ...

sulla80
Jul 3, 20243 min read


Nerva: Succession & Reign
Nerva was named by the Senate as emperor on the same day that Domitian which certainly opens suspicion that there was no shortage of plan...

sulla80
Jun 22, 20245 min read


Ulysses Returns
"Now, as they talked on, a dog that lay there lifted up his muzzle, pricked his ears. . . It was Argos, long-enduring Odysseus’ dog he...

sulla80
Jun 19, 20247 min read


Severina, Empress
Ulpia Severina Augusta, wife of Emperor Aurelian is not named in ancient literature, however the Historia Augusta mentions her: Clothing...

sulla80
Jun 16, 20244 min read


A Bird in the Hand
"Better one sparrow in thy hand than a thousand on the wing"
- Proverbs of Ahikar the Wise, 6th Century Assyria, #51

sulla80
Jun 9, 20244 min read


The Year of Six Emperors
"It so happened that the two men were not in complete accord: so great is the desire for sole rule and so contrary to the usual practice...

sulla80
Jun 8, 20244 min read


Greeks and Cattle
Humans have been making images of cattle for many millennia - this painting from Lascaux caves depicts aurochs (wild ancestors of domesticated cattle), horses and deer. The Magdalénien people of the Upper Paleolithic in western Europe that produced these paintings are estimated to have lived 12,000-17,000 years ago. Image from Prof. Saxx of a Lascaux cave painting, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons My latest ancient coin has a beautiful image of a bull facing on the obver

sulla80
Jun 5, 20246 min read


Vikram Samvat Calendar
The Vikrama Samvat is a Hindu luni-solar calendar, which means it is based on both the phases of the moon and the solar year. It has...

sulla80
Jun 2, 20241 min read


De Peltae
My coin of interest today is a Roman Republican denarius from 103BC. The first one shown here was little used and well preserved from...

sulla80
May 23, 20245 min read


The Galvano Boys
Buying ancient coins can be particularly challenging for those just starting out. EBay is especially full of forgeries, copies,...

sulla80
May 20, 20246 min read


Mustafa II - Ottoman Empire
Mustafa II was Sultan of the Ottoman Empire from 1695 to 1703. He ascended to the throne late in the The Great Turkish War (1683-1699)...

sulla80
May 11, 20246 min read


Acorn Eaters to Melting Pot
Where did the people of ancient Rome originate? How do we connect the varied myths of Rome's founding from Virgil's Aeneid to the...

sulla80
May 4, 20248 min read


Romans in Bithynia
This first coin was issued during the turbulent times of the Gracchi brothers, with unrest between the social reformers and the...

sulla80
Apr 27, 20247 min read


Arca Ferrata
Henri de Longpérier, in his book about "money containers", detailed two excellently preserved chests discovered in Pompeii in 1868. "The...

sulla80
Apr 13, 20243 min read


Ancients and Solar Eclipses
Emperor Claudius: When the moon gets in a direct line with the sun over our heads and passes under its blazing orb, it obscures the rays...

sulla80
Apr 8, 20245 min read


New City hemidrachm
Phorcys and Ceto were the father and mother of the Gorgons (Phorycides), three sisters, Sthenno, Euryale, and Medusa. When Perseus killed...

sulla80
Apr 7, 20246 min read


Numismatics & Generative AI
There are multiple versions of the story of Pandora. Hesiod, who is thought to have lived between 750 and 650 BC, describes the creation...

sulla80
Mar 31, 20247 min read


Seuthes III
The Bronze head of Seuthes III from the Golyamata Kosmatka Tomb Today's coin is from an obscure King, from Odrysia a part of Thrace. Comparing the portrait on the coin with the bronze head of Seuthes III - there is little question about the resemblance of these two portraits. The reverse reads ΣΕΥΘΟΥ (Seuthes in the genitive - belonging to Seuthes). Greek Coins, Kings of Thrace (Odrysian), Seuthes III (circa 330/25-295 BC), AE (5.05g, 22mm), mint: Seuthopolis Obv: Bearded por

sulla80
Mar 28, 20245 min read


Gerousia
Demos (the people), Boule (the city council), and Gerousia (the council of elders) can be found as personifications of municipal...

sulla80
Mar 23, 20247 min read
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